MATTHEW E. CLAPHAM Assistant Professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences Invertebrate Paleontology, Paleoecology
		Office: EMS A208 Phone: 831-459-1276 Fax: 831-459-3074 E-mail: mclapham@pmc.ucsc.edu Lab: A201		For more information: • Website • Publications (PDF)

Education and Training

B. Sc., University of British Columbia
M. Sc., Queen's University (Kingston)
Ph. D., University of Southern California

Research Interests

My main interests are in reconstructing changes in the composition
and ecological structure of marine paleocommunities, especially during
mass extinctions and times of environmental change. In particular,
I have investigated ecological changes during the end-Guadalupian extinction
and during climate warming following the late Paleozoic ice age. I am also
interested in determining the relationship between diversity and ecological
dominance and understanding when and why the two may be decoupled.

My research is primarily field-based, collecting bulk fossil samples or
making direct quantitative counts at the outcrop in conjunction with
sedimentological analysis and, increasingly, geochemical proxies.
I also supplement the field analyses with literature and database studies
of longer-term changes in ecological dominance and its relation to
changes in diversity.

If you would like to learn more about my research, including opportunites
for students, please visit my website or send me an email.